Anything To Help You Sleep
by CrossedQuills
Summary: Takes place prior to Shed Some Light On Things, but can be read alone. Ignis has been having night terrors since they all moved back into the Citadel. Gladio offers to stay nearby until Ignis is able to sleep. Rated M for later chapters. Hurt/Comfort, fluff, and sex.
1. Chapter 1

*Thank you again for everyone who reviewed Shed Some Light on Things. By multiple requests here's the Gladio/Ignis relationship genesis story. Contains some pretty vivid nightmares that are meant to be disturbing. Also contains hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, and some smut later. Takes place in the AU universe four years prior to SSLOT.

** As of right now we aren't exactly sure what caused Ignis to go blind as far as what we've been told in the game. So I'm just making educated guesses here. We might find out more later with DLC, but for now I'm using what we have.

ANYTHING TO HELP YOU SLEEP

CHAPTER 1

" _Noct! Prompto is headed your way," shouted Ignis into the communicator as Prompto rocketed away on the stolen Nif cruiser._

" _What about you guys?" Noctis responded._

" _We'll wait below." Ignis deflected one of Leviathan's water spawn away from a group of fleeing civilians. "There's only room for two." Prompto and Noct could be heard over the communicators as he and Gladio shielded the crowd as best they could._

" _Noct! Jump!"_

" _What!?"_

" _No time for questions!"_

 _A water spawn crashed through a section of the crowd out of Ignis and Gladio's reach. Most of the citizens were knocked into the raging torrent of the harbor as others were smashed to the ground. Another spawn passed overhead, clipping one of the smaller Niflheim carriers. Its engine sputtered and it slowly began to descend to the ground. Its red power core looming down like an angry eye._

 _Ignis followed its path down to a crowded street of people. There was nothing he could do as it fell. First it tore through the terracotta roofs and stucco facades like they were pressed sugar before crushing at least a dozen people into the cobble stone._

 _The screams were deafening._

 _On top of it all he heard the wail of a child. Ignis caught sight of the young girl and took off in a sprint. The girl was desperately pulling on a bloodied arm protruding from the rubble and screaming for her mother._

 _Gladio yelled from the other end of the street. "Ignis! Stop! It's going to bl-"_

 _Ignis never even heard the sound of the explosion as the ship erupted, sending shrapnel in all directions, tearing the little girl to pieces as well as the injured crowd around it._

 _It was the last thing Ignis ever saw._

The marble floor of his new quarters rose up to meet him while the vision of carnage still lingered behind his ravaged eyes. He was shivering cold, but absolutely covered in sweat. The metallic taste of blood coated his mouth from biting his tongue. His eyes burned from crying and his throat was raw from screaming. This was torturous.

It had been just about two years since the incident that took his sight, but these night terrors had begun tormenting him ever since he got his own quarters at the Citadel. Up until just recently he had been staying in one of the lower quarters in the building while the upper parts were under repair. The crews had worked day and night on the repairs so there was always some sort of humming, banging, or drilling going on in the background. Before that, during the dark ages when he was roaming the land hunting daemons, he was always on alert to the hisses and growls of potential monsters nearby. Even while he slept.

Now that the repairs were done it was silence. Utter and complete silence.

After the first night terror last week Ignis had tried playing music or white noise in the background while he'd slept. When that failed he spent a night in one of the quarters on a lower level to see if perhaps it was the room that was bothering him. It wasn't that either. His own personal daemons kept their hooks in him like a tenacious incubus.

It had been six nights since Ignis had gotten more than a few hours of broken sleep, and it was driving him mad.

Shakily he stood up and reached for the shirt and slippers he kept on the oversized recliner next to his bed. Maybe a drink would help. He counted the twelve paces to his door before reaching out to open it. Listening to the corridor he didn't hear any other foot traffic in the newly refurbished hallway, indicating that it must have been the middle of the night. He hung a right and headed toward the small kitchen that was on this floor. He remembered feeling a large bottle of vodka in one of the cabinets.

It was probably not the most quality liquor in the building, but at this moment he would do anything to blot out the lingering images. The hangover would be worth it.

One finger on the wall to his right he traced the fine wallpaper before it ended. He turned right again and continued to trace a digit along the wall. One doorway, two, three, four, go around the statue, five, six, hang a left. His hand touched the stainless steel of the kitchen door and swung it open. He was a few steps into the room when he heard the refrigerator door close. Someone else was in here. "Hello?" he called hoarsely.

"What are you doing up so late?" said Gladio.

"Nightmares." He put a hand on the steel counter top to stabilize himself. The lack of sleep was taking a toll on him. "You?"

"Midnight snack." There was a pause as Gladio finished whatever he was chewing on. "You alright, Iggy? You're looking pretty rough around the edges."

Ignis really didn't have the energy to lie. "No… No I'm not. I haven't slept well in nearly a week."

Gladio hummed. "Yeah, strange room, strange smells. Mine still stinks of paint and grout."

"I don't think it's that… Could you get me the bottle of vodka in the liquor cabinet please?"

Gladio made a disgusted sound. "You don't want to drink that stuff. It's so bottom shelf I wouldn't use it to disinfect a wound, let alone drink it."

"At the moment I really don't care."

Gladio sighed, but then Ignis heard the sound of the cabinet open and the clink of a glass. Gladio poured and screwed the cap back on before placing the glass on the table in front of Ignis. "Bottoms up. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Ignis made the mistake of taking a whiff of it. He grimaced, but tilted his head back before he could change his mind. His throat clenched to reject the profane liquid, but Ignis forced it down. He put the glass back down on the table and tried not to vomit. "If I ever try and drink that again, punch me in the face."

"Told you so."

Ignis' stomach churned as it began to reject the cheap liquor. He swallowed hard. "Get me to the sink."

Gladio guided his shoulder across the room and soon the vodka was coming back up again along with what remained of Ignis' dinner. While Ignis hunched over the rim of the sink Gladio turned on the water to rinse it out before retreating back to the fridge.

Forehead pressed to the metal counter Ignis felt a little better despite the burning in his throat. At least he'd forgotten about his nightmares for a moment. He heard the clink of ice cubes in a glass and soon he felt the chilled item tap his shoulder. "Drink this," said Gladio. He sipped the ginger ale, washing away the flavor of vomit and vodka.

"Thank you." Well… there goes that idea.

"Come on, let's get you back to your room," said Gladio as he placed a hand on Ignis' back. Ignis just nodded and let the larger man guide him.

He heard Gladio flip on the end table light as they entered. Ignis never used it for obvious reasons, but the people who put the furniture in his room must have expected _some_ use of it.

Exhausted, he kicked his slippers off and slid back into his blankets, now cold from his absence. When he was settled he expected to hear the footsteps of Gladio exiting the room, but instead he heard the sound of a body falling into the recliner next to his bed. "Gladio?"

"If you're having nightmares I'll stick around for a little bit till you're out." The sound of Gladio turning his phone on chirped quietly. "I downloaded a book last week that I've been meaning to read anyway."

Ignis was touched. Somehow having the shield nearby gave him some comfort. "This is going to sound silly, but could you read aloud for a bit? I haven't been able to get too many books in braille yet."

"Sure," said Gladio. A moment later he began, "The story so far: In the beginning the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move…"

Even though he would have loved to sleep later, Ignis' internal clock was a precarious bitch. It was probably around five in the morning if he had to guess.

He could hear light snoring from a few feet behind him. For the briefest moment he thought he was in a hotel room from years ago, when all four of them would cram into one room to save Gil at the outposts. Waking up was usually jarring, but today it was only the slightest bit of confusion before he realized he was in his own bed.

Gladio was still there. He'd slept in the recliner all night. Ignis made a mental note to thank the shield when he woke up. But in the meantime Ignis had his routine to start.

Sliding out of bed Ignis pulled his comforter off and laid it over Gladio to the best of his ability without disturbing him. Gladio shifted slightly, but continued sleeping. Ignis was envious of his ability to sleep through just about anything.

Moving to the other side of the room Ignis centered himself and started his yoga routine.

When Gladio awoke the shower in the ensuite was just being turned off. He lifted his head, but was greeted with an uncomfortable kink in the muscles just below the base of his skull. Rubbing it fruitlessly he sat up and noticed he was under Ignis' comforter. Slowly he stood up, not wanting to aggravate his neck any further, and draped the blanket back over the mattress.

Early morning light was filling the room since Ignis never needed to draw his curtains. Gladio took the moment to admire the collection of books Ignis had flanking the tall windows of his room. A small pang of sadness tugged at him knowing that Ignis would have to replace nearly all of them with versions he could read.

He turned and headed toward the bedroom door, but found the ensuite door open as he walked by. Ignis stood in the steamy room, a towel wrapped around his waist as he shaved. "Morning, Gladio," he said.

"Morning Iggs." He rubbed his neck again.

"You alright?"

"Stiff neck. That chair was not built for the likes of me to nod off in it."

Ignis put his razor down and wiped off one hand on his towel. "May I?"

It had been a while since Ignis needed to heal him, but he leaned forward none the less and said, "Sure. Why not?"

Ignis laid a hand over Gladio's neck as the magic tingled its way through his skin. It started off cold, but soon became warm to relax the tense muscles. Gladio looked up at Ignis' face while he worked. The star shaped scar that encased Ignis' entire left eye and stretched to the temple was still rather intense to look at so closely, even if Gladio had a fair share of his own. Still, he remembered what that wound looked like fresh. What it looked like when Gladio ran over to his unconscious body after the blast. What it looked like when he was sure Ignis was dead. What it looked like through the haze of tears.

"Thank you, by the way," said Ignis, pulling Gladio back from his own thoughts. "For staying last night. I actually got a few good hours in." Ignis let go of Gladio's neck.

He tilted his head a few different directions experimentally, finding the pain gone and his range of motion returned. "Who needs potions with you around," he said. "No problem regarding staying here. Any time." Neck healed, Gladio took the moment to let his eyes roam the strategist's mostly bare torso. Despite the scars he was still very appealing to look at, even if Gladio would never admit it aloud. He'd been admiring Ignis since they met as teenagers, but he knew the Kings advisor would never have him. Ignis was too dedicated to his job to have time for anything else. So was Gladio, especially back then. Besides, Gladio wouldn't even know how to approach the topic with Ignis. He'd never admitted to others, or really even himself, that he found guys just as attractive as the women he occasionally dated.

"Everything alright?" asked Ignis.

Gladio cleared his throat. "Yeah," he said. "I'm going to go get some breakfast. You good?"

Ignis nodded. "Yes. Thank you again."

X~X~X

I don't think this will become the monster my last fic was, but I think these two certainly deserve their own little story. Don't you?

Reviews are always appreciated and are a fantastic motivator for the next chapter. Ya'll know me :3 I'm such a review whore.


	2. Chapter 2

**I know Gladio is a lot more timid compared to SSLOT (ok a LOT more), but consider that he's never been with a guy and this is four years before the other story.

ANYTHING TO HELP YOU SLEEP

CHAPTER 2

Normally Ignis didn't spend this much time at the gym in one day, but thankfully his office schedule was fairly clear and he took the opportunity to try and burn off as much energy as he could. He may have been able to sleep a few hours last night, thanks to Gladio, but he wasn't sure if he would get so lucky again. Maybe if he exhausted himself his mind wouldn't have the energy to produce nightmares.

Taking a break from the treadmill Ignis shook his legs out before bending over and putting his palms on the mat, stretching out his hamstrings. He heard a loud whoosh in the other room of the gym and recognized it. There weren't many people who could swing a sword that big, even a practice one.

Walking through the gym, making sure he didn't trip over any stray weights, Ignis made his way to the enclosed sparring room. He opened the door and listened. He only heard one pair of feet on the mats as the oversized sparring sword whirled around at a measured pace. The faint aroma of argan oil was in the air. "Afternoon, Gladio."

The wooshing stopped. "Hey, Specks. Thought that was you in the gym. You looked like you were in the zone so I didn't want to bug you."

"You never bug me," Ignis said before he could stop himself. He cleared his throat to cover it. "Would you care for a sparring partner?"

"Sure. His Highness should be along soon, I was just warming up."

He slid his sneakers off and placed them squarely by the door before Ignis summoned his practice daggers. He double checked the edge to make sure they weren't his Vigilantes before heading into the room.

It had been a few months since Ignis had gotten a decent sparing session in and Gladio gave him no quarter. Thankfully his sword made a decent amount of noise and was comparatively slow to Ignis' daggers. Still, the shield was true to his title and managed to block nearly all of Ignis' attacks as the strategist dodged his in turn. He heard another swing coming at him from the side and managed to lean back far enough, just feeling it pass in front of his nose as he did. What he didn't expect was a swift kick to the back of his calves. He lost his balance and hit the matt hard.

Gladio was breathing hard, but was by no means was winded as he chuckled. "I win."

"You cheated."

"Since when is a leg sweep considered cheating in a sparring match?" Ignis didn't have a witty response at the moment. Gladio tapped his knee, indicating he was holding out a hand to help him up. Ignis grabbed the larger man's hand and was hoisted to his feet a little faster than he anticipated and he wound up against Gladio's chest.

"Sorry," he said, but the larger man didn't say anything or make any attempt to move away. The back of his hand was touching Gladio's chest and he could feel his heart beating. They stood there for long, drawn out seconds. He wished he could see the expression on the shields face.

Suddenly there was space between the two. Ignis went to say something, but he heard the sound of the sparring room's door opening. He turned toward it when he heard a familiar voice. "Oh, hey Ignis," said Noctis from the doorway.

"Afternoon, Highness."

"Are you joining us?" asked their King.

Ignis shook his head. "I was just finishing up. Don't let him go too easy on you," said Ignis in a light tone as he grabbed his shoes. "Watch out for leg sweeps," he whispered to Noctis as he slipped past him and out the door.

 _Ignis ran through the dark hallways of the citadel toward the throne room. He'd lost track of the others during the fray and could only hope that they were on their way too. The cries of daemons echoed from the hall behind him._

 _Bursting through the throne room doors he looked up and choked on his cry. Hanging from chains from the ceiling were Luna, King Regis, Noct, and Gladio. Their eyes had been gouged out and fresh blood still dripped from Gladio and Noct. Ignis fell to his knees._

" _Well, well, well you finally arrived." said Ardyn from the top of the stairs. He was holding Prompto by the throat, the gunslingers feet kicked freely beneath him as he struggled. "Has anyone ever told you it's rude to be late to a party?" Ardyn looked down at him with the eyes of a daemon, blackness oozing from his mouth as he spoke._

 _Chains snaked their way down from the ceiling and wrapped around the blonde as he struggled. Ardyn held a bloodied dagger in his hand as he restrained Prompto by the hair. "Would you like to choose which eye he loses first? It's only fair, after all, for them to be as blind as you."_

" _Let him go!"_

 _Ardyn shrugged. "Very well I'll choose for you." He held the dagger to Prompto's face. "Eeny… meeny… miny…"_

Gladio tossed and turned in his bed. He was tired, but he just couldn't sleep. He was worried about Ignis. On top of that there was that moment they had in the sparring room before Noctis walked in. Gladio was still trying to figure out if it was a _moment_ at all. Ignis was such an enigma. He never wore his emotions on his sleeve like the others did.

He rolled on his back and pressed his palms into his eyes. He wasn't going to get any sleep. Reaching for his phone he checked the time. It was just after eleven. Gladio groaned, he was supposed to be up early to run the Kingsglaive rookies through a drill. There was no way he was getting to sleep without checking on Ignis. The strategist might still be awake too.

Sliding out of bed he threw on his sweatpants and tank top before heading out into the hall. Ignis' room was on the same floor but the other side of the wing. The hallways were empty as they usually were at this time of night. The Citadel had only recently started having the upper suites available and most of the rooms remained unoccupied.

Finding Ignis' door he raised his hand to knock and paused. What if Ignis was finally getting some sleep? He'd pushed himself pretty hard today in the gym and Gladio assumed he would be pretty wiped. This was stupid, he was overthinking things. He lowered his hand and began walking back to his room before he heard Ignis scream.

Thankfully the door was unlocked or Gladio would have broken it down.

"Ignis," he called as he turned the light on.

Ignis was flailing like he was running in his sleep. Gladio held his shoulders, trying to calm him down, but he was in a state of panic. Somewhere in the chaos Ignis landed a punch to the side of Gladio's face, hard. It took Gladio a moment to see straight again before he managed to get a hold of Ignis' wrists. "Ignis. Ignis wake up. You're dreaming. Ignis."

Slowly Ignis stopped flailing and his gasps retreated to only labored breathing. "Gladio?"

"Yeah, I'm here. You were screaming." He let go of Ignis wrists.

Ignis' breathing slowed. "My hand hurts."

"I would think so," said Gladio with a light smile. "It did make contact with my skull."

Ignis reached out and placed a hand on Gladio's face. He winced, not from the contact, but because it really hurt. "I'm so sorry." Ignis had already began to heal him.

"I'm just glad you don't cast in your sleep. The room would be on fire."

"I have had that concern," Ignis said as the tingle of magic dissipated. When it was gone completely Ignis didn't remove his hand right away. He traced a thumb across the scar on his cheek and seemed lost in thought.

"Umm, Ignis?"

"Sorry, just making sure you were really you."

"What was the dream about? It must have been bad."

Ignis slumped back. He looked exhausted. His normally perfect hair was in disarray, his blankets were cast all over the bed and there was a dark ring under his less-damaged eye. "It was Ardyn in the throne room. I never saw it in person but Noct told me about what it looked like. With Luna and the others hanging there."

"Oh… yeah, that was pretty nightmareish."

"But you were one of the ones hanging there. Noct too. Ardyn had cut out your eyes before he killed you. He started doing the same to Prompto in front of me."

Gladio cringed from the mental image. "Six, Iggy. That's the stuff that's been keeping you up at night? No wonder you tried drinking that garbage vodka."

Ignis nodded sadly. "It's been like that every night for a week. The best sleep I've gotten was the few hours you were here."

Gladio was silent. He didn't know what to say. Going that long without sleep would have driven Gladio mad. He hadn't seen Ignis so vulnerable since the accident.

"Could you stay?" Ignis asked suddenly. Gladio didn't answer right away, causing Ignis' expression to falter. "I'm sorry, you probably have an early day tomorrow. Nevermind. Forget I-"

"I'll stay," said Gladio. Ignis expression lightened. "Let me just text someone real quick."

While Ignis got back into bed and straightened out the blankets Gladio pulled out his phone and texted the Captain of the Kingsglaive, his next in rank.

Something came up. Could you cover the drill tomorrow with the noobs?

There was a surprisingly quick response.

Yes, Sir. Everything alright?

Everything's fine. Thanks.

Gladio put his phone away and sat down on the recliner, trying to get comfortable.

"Would you like to sleep in the bed?" Ignis asked.

Gladio's face got warm. "Won't that be a little snug?"

"No more than the tent or the lumpy hotel beds we all used to share. I just don't want you messing up your neck like you did yesterday. It's the least I could do considering you're helping me get some sleep."

"True." Gladio tried to keep his voice calm. Back in the day it was all four of them together and normally they ended up sleeping in their clothes. Ignis was only in pajama pants and it was _his_ bed. It was a lot more intimate.

Ignis scooted all the way over to let Gladio in. Despite the tension in his stomach he had to admit these were some really nice sheets. Once he was fully covered he turned off the light. "Night Iggy. Sleep well I hope."

"Me too. Thank you, Gladio."

X~X~X

I know, still pretty tame. I'm building it up here. More to come soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Author Notes:

"Hmmm, this opening scene feels familiar. What do you think, Prompto?"

The blonde blushes furiously. "Shhhhh, you'll spoil it."

"They do look cute like that, don't they?"

Prompto nods. There's a long silence before the gunslinger said, "Alright, enough fourth wall breaking. Back to the story. This is where it starts to get good."

ANYTHING TO HELP YOU SLEEP

CHAPTER 3

Sleep enveloped Ignis like a generous lover.

He didn't dream that he could remember, but he didn't have nightmares either. His internal clock awoke him gently, which was rare. Normally it grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him out of sleep with a sense of urgency. But not today. Today it kept its arms around him in a warm embrace, not wanting to let go. Ignis shifted a bit and sleep tightened its grip and…hold on a tick…

Ignis gently felt the arm around his lower abs. Thick forearms, with the raised edges of the tattoo mingling with old scars. Gladio's even breathing and steady heartbeat let Ignis know for sure that the shield was still in deep sleep. Ignis decided to lay his head back down on the pillow and try and get another hour or so in while he could. He didn't mind Gladio's arm around him. It wasn't uncommon in the tent for one of the group to have one of his arms wrapped around them in the morning. Gladio might never admit it, but he was quite the big-spoon when he slept. Especially in close quarters with people he trusted.

Granted Ignis usually had a shirt on in those other instances.

At the moment Gladio's breath on his shoulder wasn't anything to be concerned about. That is until the shield shifted himself and Ignis felt something hard press against the back of his thigh.

 _Gladio is a notorious heavy sleeper_ , thought Ignis, reassuring himself. _This is probably just a normal morning bodily function. It is a natural occurrence and…oh gods that's a tongue on my shoulder._ Ignis felt an almost inaudible rumble emanate from the man behind him as he could feel his breathing begin to pick up.

Gladio was about to wake up. This would be a rather awkward situation if Gladio woke up to find them like this. He might get embarrassed. He might think twice before helping Ignis in the future if he needed it.

Considering all this, Ignis reluctantly lifted Gladio's arm and slipped out of the bed. He made sure that the shield was still sleeping while he silently made his way to the bathroom. When he got there he closed the door quietly before leaning on it with an exasperated moan.

There were many times in the past that he'd admired Gladio's physique. And more than once Ignis had taken care of himself with the thoughts of the shield's mouth on him, even if Gladio hadn't given the slightest hint of being into men. It was a pipe dream at best.

He wasn't sure who or what Gladio was dreaming about, but for the moment he pretended that it was him. Ignis turned on the shower and stripped down waiting for it to get warm. His member already painfully at attention before he wrapped his hand around it.

The one thing about being blind; you don't have any annoying visual interruptions when your picturing the man who's currently in your bed giving you a blowjob. He pictured those amber eyes he remembered looking up at him as he worked.

Ignis slid his other hand back, teasing his entrance. It had been quite a while. The last time Ignis had been intimate with anyone was before they'd left Insomnia on their way to Noct's wedding.

He imagined Gladio's member that was just pressed against his thigh rubbing against him here instead. The thought alone was enough to lead Ignis willingly to the brink of climax. He let out a low moan as he came and hoped to the gods that Gladio couldn't hear it.

Ignis panted and let the endorphins flow through him for a moment. He put his head under the hot stream of water, letting it wash his tension away.

When the wave had passed he found his soap and proceeded with his actual shower.

 _Gladio held Ignis in his arms as the strategist shed his shirt and tossed it away. Ignis ground down into him from his lap as they lay sprawled on the floor of the sparring room. Their blunted weapons cast to the sides as they locked lips. A sparring match of a different sort going on in their mouths._

 _The dream was so vivid, Gladio could swear he could actually taste Ignis._

 _Nimble hands worked their way up his shirt before pulling it over his head as well. Ignis bent over and lavished attention on his collar bone and nipples. Looking up at him with bright green eyes as he worked his way lower._

 _The overhead lights in the gym started to brighten as Ignis' tongue traced its way down the scar crossing Gladio's abs. The lights became unbearably bright as the strategists teeth grabbed the hem of his workout pants…_

Gladio groaned and buried his face in the pillows in front of him to shield him from the early morning light streaming through the windows.

Ironic that the sunrise, the thing they fought so hard and long for was the primary source of his ire at the present moment.

He was almost happy to find the strategist vacant from the bed and the sound of the shower running. Gladio didn't want any awkward moments with the raging hard on he had at the moment. He debated slipping out of the room and heading back to his own, but then he ran the risk of running into someone in the hallway with a tent in his pants. The dream was so vivid that for a moment he felt like he really could taste and feel Ignis' skin beneath him.

Frustrated, he flopped back down onto the sheets.

That's when it hit him. Ignis' smell. It was his bed after all, so it made sense that it would hold his scent so strongly.

Gladio weighed his options, listening to the water running. He knew that he would have a minute or so warning if he heard the water stop. Quickly he sat up and checked in one of Ignis' end table drawers, finding nothing but a few pens and an extra pair of glasses. He reached over to the other end table and opened it up, finding what he was looking for. "Good man," he said. Pulling out the tube he squeezed some lube in his hand, making a mental note of the other contents of the drawer before laying on his back.

He lowered his sweatpants just low enough to get a grip on his throbbing member. Precum was already seeping out of the tip when he began running his hand up and down the length.

Gladio moved quickly, not knowing how much time he had. He was already worked up quite a bit, so when the coil of orgasm began to wind itself in his stomach he didn't fight it. Grabbing a nearby pillow he held it over his face, partially to muffle the sound but also for the smell.

Ignis had a very specific cologne that he'd worn since he was in his late teens. Beneath that aroma was the smell that was pervasively Ignis with an undertone of cotton and laundry detergent. Gladio pictured Ignis on top of him like in his dream. That combined with the thoughts of what was in the end table sent Gladio toppling over the edge just as he heard the flow of water stop.

He didn't really have time to bask as he snagged a few tissues from the end table and cleaned himself up before stuffing them in his pockets to throw out later. He rearranged the pillows to a reasonable level of disarray before laying atop the blankets casually and turning on his phone. He opened some random app and played around on it just as the bathroom door opened.

He noticed a series of texts from his subordinate just as Ignis walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

\- Good morning, Sir.

\- Training went well this morning.

\- There are a few rookies that need additional training at night ops.

\- Should I schedule a session with you this evening?

\- Please advise.

Gladio grimaced. He hated evening training, but they had an inspection coming up at the end of the week and it would mean more work on his part if any of them failed their assessment. He texted back.

~ Thank you for covering this morning.

~ Yes I can train tonight.

~ Have them meet in the west briefing room at 1900.

-Roger.

~ I don't want to be out too late.

~ Make sure they know their shit.

He looked up at his phone to see Ignis zipping his trousers up. Son of a bitch, he'd been so preoccupied with work he'd missed seeing Ignis naked. If only for a second. He wondered if Ignis knew he was there… or thought he was watching.

Gladio cleared his throat.

"Morning," said Ignis as he pulled an undershirt on.

"You seem to be a bit more chipper today," said Gladio. Maybe it was the hot shower, but Ignis had a definite glow to him.

Ignis nodded. "Indeed. That was the first full night of sleep I've had in a fortnight." He made his way over to his closet and felt around his shirts. There were small tags hanging from each of them that Ignis ran his fingers over.

So that's how he got himself so immaculately dressed every day. It made sense considering he obviously couldn't look himself in a mirror. Gladio wondered how he went shopping.

"You need me to stay again tonight?" The words left Gladio's mouth before he even knew he said them.

"I would certainly not object," came the answer. "I appreciate your assistance greatly, but I hope I'm not putting you out."

"Not at all," he cleared his throat again. "S'not like I have anything better to do." Then he remembered he actually did have some responsibilities. Unfortunately. "I have training with some new recruits around sundown. I could be here around eleven or so, if that's not too late."

"It's a date."

X~X~X

Author Notes:

CrossedQuills hands a bowl of popcorn to Prompto and gets comfortable. "This gon' be good."


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note:

"You're gonna have to change the rating from Mature to Explicit now," said Prompto swallowing his popcorn. "You know that, right?"

CQ nods and sips her soda. "Noted."

Noctis walks into the room. "Here you guys are… what are you watching?"

Prompto reaches up, grabs Noct by the belt buckle, and drags him down to the couch beside him. "Shut up, we're getting to the good part."

"How are we watching this?" asked Noct "Are you filming shit again?"

"Shhhhhh!"

ANYTHING TO HELP YOU SLEEP

CHAPTER 4

Gladio and the rest of his training team were in the wilds just outside Insomnia. The ground was still littered with the husks of the Nif battle ships and rusted mech shells. He walked behind his newest recruits as they followed their maps and looked down at their compasses. Tonight's training was primarily night navigation, ending with matchless fire building when they eventually found the haven on the map. With the daemons gone there was little need for the runes to ward them away, but the havens still functioned as effective waypoints and camp locations.

They earned bonus points if they found wild edibles along the way. Gladio was proud that they'd already found some sweet peppers and a few mushrooms.

The sun had dipped down past the Disks to the west just over an hour ago, but there was still some lingering light as the sky took on the color of a new bruise. If Gladio had to guess he'd estimate they'd reach the haven in about twenty minutes and if the gods were with him they'd get a fire lit quick and they could all go back to the Citadel.

He'd been thinking of Ignis all day. It was difficult not to.

" _It's a date."_

The words clung to him a lot more than they should have. Ignis was always one to turn a phrase. Gladio was certain he didn't mean 'date' in the literal sense.

He really was worrying too much.

After a few more nights Ignis should be able to sleep normally again and they'd be back to their occasional meetings in the gym or at formal events. They'd both go back to their usual responsibilities and sleeping alone.

Gladio stopped walking.

That thought suddenly seemed so… hollow.

"Commander, we found the haven," called one of the rookies ahead.

The shield was pulled back to the here and now for the moment and ran ahead to catch up with his squad.

Ignis was his second glass of wine in as he sat in his room, trying to read.

This morning, after his shower he was so much more relaxed. That combined with the first good night sleep he'd had in a while he was downright jovial. Even his office assistant, Quistis, commented on his good mood.

Oh, the miracles of a good night sleep and rubbing one out first thing in the morning could do.

However, as the night crept closer Ignis became more and more anxious. He could no longer deny how attracted to Gladio he was. They'd been through so much together and he was going above and beyond to assist Ignis in his problem without complaint. In addition to the impropriety of the whole scenario, he didn't want to make things awkward between them, and he especially didn't want to drive him away. He would just have to settle for Gladio's friendship and indulge in fantasies in his own time. That was the plan, and he would stick to it.

His fingers must have grazed the same lines of text three times now. He was still not terribly proficient with reading brail compared to how fast he used to read traditionally and it was frustrating. Being distracted on top of everything didn't help. He sighed and closed the book, putting it aside just as there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said.

He heard the door open and the sound of boots being kicked off just inside it. "Hey, Iggs."

"You're earlier than you said you'd be."

"The new kids seem to have some decent heads on their shoulders. They found the haven and made a fire in record time." He could hear Gladio hanging up his glaive jacket. "They even found some foraged edibles. Is there any more wine?"

"The rest of the bottle is on the wet bar. Help yourself."

"Thanks," he said.

"Did they find anything good?" Ignis asked. He heard Gladio open the cork and pour a drink… for a long time. Ignis bit his tongue. That was a good bottle.

Gladio swallowed a mouthful. "Nothing really to your standards, but they did find something that I think you'll appreciate. Hold your hands out."

Ignis smirked. He put his glass down and stood up, palms up. He heard Gladio take another swig of wine before he put his glass down too. He heard Gladio rubbing his hands together quickly before a familiar scent hit him. Ignis inhaled deeply. "Is that lavender?"

"Yeah," said Gladio as Ignis felt his calloused fingers rubbing the plants oils into his wrists. The sudden contact made him flinch, but Gladio held his arms gently. "It's supposed to help people sleep." Gladio kept his hands around his wrists well after the smell was transferred. There was a lasting silence as Ignis' heartbeat became the dominant sound in his ears.

Gladio's hands traveled up Ignis' arms, then shoulders, stopping when they were on either side of his jaw. He would give anything in the world to see the look on the shields face at this moment.

The distance closed between them before the larger man's forehead touched his. "Iggy?" said Gladio. A thousand words being asked in one. Ignis dropped any hesitation that remained in his body and answered by leaning in and pressing their lips together.

 _Yes_ , was the answer.

The kiss went from gentle to intense in the matter of seconds. Any doubts they'd had about what the other one wanted was obliterated as the back of Ignis legs made contact with the edge of the bed and they fell down to the mattress.

Gladio sat up for an instant and shifted, returning back down on him minus his shirt. Ignis felt entirely too warm and soon his shirt was gone too. They kissed and ground into one another like teenagers before Ignis managed to flip Gladio over onto his back.

He leaned down and unbuttoned Gladio's pants, before hooking his fingers in his belt loops and pulled down.

"Are you sure, Iggs?" Gladio asked, breathlessly. "I don't want to go too fast if you don't want to."

Ignis leaned down and nipped the shields toned abdominals. "This would be the third night in a row you'd be spending in my bedroom. I believe we can skip the usual dating formalities," he said before he bit the waistband of the shields briefs. Gladio had no more objections as he lifted his hips and let Ignis pull the remainder of his clothes off.

Ignis reached out and took Gladio in his hand and gave a few slow strokes before giving him a lick from base to tip. The breathless groan he earned let Ignis know that his skills hadn't gotten rusty over the years of disuse. Fingers began to tighten in his hair, egging him on. Relenting he took as much of Gladio into his mouth as he could. Thankfully Gladio didn't push his head down too hard, he was already fighting his gag reflex as it was.

It wasn't long before he began to feel the larger man begin to quiver beneath him. He pulled away as Gladio groaned. "Not yet," he said standing up and removing his own pants. Some tiny part of him realized he would have to find where he'd tossed his clothes in the morning. Oh well.

The mattress shifted before Gladio wrapped his arms around him and flopped him down onto the bed. The shield lavished kisses down his body as he got lower. "I've never done this before, so tell me what you want."

An unrestrained moan exited Ignis as Gladio put him in his mouth. When he regained some semblance of composure he said, "I think you can figure it out. I'll let you know when to stop if you have to."

For someone who'd never given oral to a man before Gladio was doing a very good job. Perhaps he'd done some research ahead of time? Ignis would have to ask him later.

The spring of orgasm was winding its way through Ignis core as he reached down and tangled his hands in the glaive's mane. "Gladiolus…"

He lifted his head and Ignis felt him lean over him and open his end table drawer. He was curious for a moment before _way_ too much lubricant was pressed against his entrance. Ignis felt a slight pressure before he abruptly pushed on Gladio's chest. "You need to build up to that. There's… There's a lot of you."

"Oh…" said Gladio with some realization. "Okay," he said, leaning back and inserting a finger instead. Gladio's mouth met Ignis' as he worked.

A few moments later Ignis broke the kiss and whispered, "more."

He felt another finger as Gladio pressed down into him, their members grinding together, the lube getting absolutely everywhere. "More," a third finger joined in. Ignis was on fire as Gladio lavished attention on him. It got to the point to where he couldn't take it anymore. "Now," he said, barely able to speak.

Gladio propped himself up slightly and lined up. He wrapped his hands around Ignis legs as he pushed in slowly. Tears stung the corner of Ignis right eye as he felt the shield bottom out. He took a few deep breaths as he adjusted, Gladio being patient as he did. After a moment he nodded and the event really began.

Gladio started out slow, thankfully, as Ignis adjusted and pleasure began to flood every corner of his body. After a few moments he bent over and kissed him, shifting his position inside as well and sending wave after wave of pleasure through him as he hit just the right spot. "Ignis, I'm close."

"Keep going," Ignis told him, reaching between the two of them and taking his member in his hand. He began to stroke himself in unison with what was becoming desperate thrusts from the shield. "Gladio," he panted as he came, wrapping his free arm around his lover. Gladio trembled as he clenched around him.

With a growl Gladio put his teeth around the space between Ignis neck and shoulder and bit down lightly. Ignis could tell he was holding back as he came. His hot breath wild and erratic against his skin before it eventually slowed.

Gladio lowered himself off to Ignis' side, kissing his shoulder as he did. "I think...*pant*… you should be able to sleep now. Right?"

Ignis chuckled and rolled over, giving Gladio a lazy post-coitus kiss. "I think so… for now. You still might need to check on me regularly."

A throaty grumble. "I think I can handle that."

They lay there together for a long moment before Ignis asked, "Gladio?"

"Hmm," he responded. Half asleep.

"How did you know which drawer my lube was in?"

Gladio tensed up. "….Ummmm."

X~X~X

**Prompto and Noctis sat there, mouths agape as the screen faded to black.

Noctis looked at them, face red. "How long have you had this?"

Prompto shook his head. "This is the first time I've seen it."

CQ held up a finger. "Shhhhh… There's a post credits scene."

And the screen brightens again.

X~X~X

Four years later…

Ignis rolled back onto the mattress, sweaty and disheveled, but intensely satisfied. Slowly he rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom to get some water.

Returning to the room with a full glass Gladio turned toward him. The shields hands were cuffed behind him onto the headboard and a black bandana covered his eyes. "You gonna unlock me anytime soon?"

Ignis sighed. "I suppose I should." He crawled over and slid the bandanna down until it was in Gladio's mouth. "That's better."

Gladio grumbled something back at him.

"What was that?" He moved the bandanna.

"Seriously, my shoulder is cramping."

Leaning over, Ignis found the key and unlocked the shield. He held the glass of water out and Gladio took it, handcuff still dangling from one wrist. He unlocked the other half and tucked it back in his end table drawer before closing it. They leaned into each other's shoulders like the casual lovers they'd become. "Are you looking forward to tomorrow evening? Noctis says he had a haven re-created on the roof for the anniversary."

"I heard. I'm looking forward to it. You should have seen the look on Prompto's face when Noct told him about it," said Gladio.

"Do you suppose those two will stop tip-toeing around one another finally?"

Gladio shook his head against Ignis' shoulder. "Probably not, unless they're pushed a little."

A grin creeped its way to Ignis' lips. "You have something in mind?"

Gladio grinned and sipped his water. "I might."

X~X~X

Okay, that's the end of one story and the beginning of another. I'm sorry if there's typo's, it's nearly 1am and I normally get up in 5 hrs. Goodnight everyone. Let me know what you think. Thank you all for the support!


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